Christmas Secrets in Snowflake Cove

by Emily Harvale

  Jane and Joshua had bumped into one another in reception. Jane had been visiting Jessie and was on her way home. Joshua was browsing through the leaflets on the console table as if waiting for someone, or something, to arrive. He said it wasn’t the wine he was waiting for when Evie enquired, and that he wasn’t looking for anything in particular when she had asked him that. He was probably keeping an eye out for Jessie. Jane appeared before Evie had a chance to ask, and when Evie introduced them, Joshua offered to walk Jane home – which was very sweet and gentlemanlike. Jane invited him for coffee. That was to find out all about him, Evie was certain of it. Jessie was not at all pleased when Evie dashed into the kitchen and told her. She immediately sent a text to Jane but refused to tell Evie what it said. When Jessie’s phone pinged in reply, Jessie gave a little self-satisfied smile.

  ‘That’ll show him,’ Jessie said, closing her eyes and nodding off almost immediately.

  Evie left her to it, returning to reception and the remainder of the day was fairly uneventful.

  Zachary’s parents, Juliette and Jeffrey had gone with Zachary – Jeffrey as producer of the show, Juliette to watch.

  Tracy and Trevor Bright eventually managed to get a train to London and hopefully onward to Norfolk, from there, but not at nine-thirty as they had intended. There were delays and cancellations so they waited at the inn and Evie set the train services app to notify them of updates. They finally got a train which departed at eleven-forty-five.

  Logan arrived shortly after and dashed straight into the kitchen. Evie was on the landline at the time and was sure he was trying to avoid her but as he would be busy helping her mum prepare the meals, she could hardly badger him about Raven.

  Joshua returned at twelve and seemed a little down-hearted, but he smiled and said he was looking forward to a delicious lunch. He was followed in by Roland, arriving just in time to serve it. Only Felicia and Joshua were having lunch, so Roland didn’t have much to do.

  After Raven helped Evie finish making the beds and tidying the rooms, Roland hung around Evie, making suggestive remarks. He eventually wandered off after she yawned several times and said, ‘Sorry Roland, what did you say? I’m far too tired for banter.’

  Juniper’s message from the tarot cards might seem like nonsense but it was playing on Evie’s mind. She had to do something to put Roland off and when he suggested a quick lie-down might help, she realised a rethink may be required. She asked him to go and find her dad and didn’t mention that he had just gone into Michaelmas Bay to buy Molly a Christmas present. That should keep the infatuated teenager busy for a while and whilst the inn was quiet, Evie had some snow globes to wrap and arrange beneath the tree.

  What would Felicia think when she opened her present on Christmas Day and found a snow globe of Snowflake Cove?

  Evie grinned at the image that thought conjured up.

  But what would Zachary and Joshua think?

  Oh dear. Perhaps her strategy with Roland wasn’t the only thing she needed to reconsider. And she was running out of time.

  Her mobile rang and the dancing reindeer appeared. Either she was imagining it, or that reindeer grew more manic each day, the closer it got to Christmas.

  ‘Hi Juniper. How’s Miranda’s knicker elastic? Is it on its way to Spain?’

  ‘Fancy coming into town right now, hitting the shops for an hour, having a cocktail and still be back by six?’

  ‘Absolutely. But I’ll have to check with Mum because Dad’s already out and I may be needed here. Come with me and I’ll ask.’ Evie hurried to the kitchen, her phone pressed against her ear. ‘So I take it Gatwick didn’t let you down.’

  ‘Nope. The flight wasn’t even delayed. Can you believe it? You were right this morning. Gatwick didn’t get it quite as bad as we did. But the best news is that she may not be able to get back. I listened to the forecast and they said that last night was merely a sample of things to come. The whole of the UK can expect severe weather, with heavy snow, blizzards and icy conditions, not just over Christmas and the New Year, but lasting into the first two weeks of January. Isn’t that fabulous?’

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Evie loved shopping. Especially Christmas shopping. With the family finances looking bleak this year, she had thought she would have to tighten her belt and only buy small gifts and absolute necessities. The Thorn booking had changed that. She still couldn’t go mad, but she could spend a few more pounds than expected and possibly buy a couple of little luxury gifts for her family, and for Juniper, too. Her mum had been happy for her to go into town and Juniper was waiting for her in the office doorway of Miranda Bradley Recruitment. Evie waved and the moment Juniper saw her, she turned off the office lights and locked the door.

  ‘I’ve put the phones on divert,’ she said, hugging Evie. ‘So if Miranda calls to check up on me, she’ll think I’m still at work. But let’s face it, no one is going to be looking for a job at four p.m. on the last Friday before Christmas, are they? And if they are, they’re bloody idiots. They should be out enjoying themselves.’

  ‘I suppose it depends on what they did at the office Christmas party. They may suddenly need to find a new place to work. But that’s their problem. You couldn’t have suggested this at a better time. I need to buy presents for the guests.’

  ‘Eh? I thought you’d got them those snow globes.’

  They walked towards the High Street on a flattened path of pale grey snow. Banks of white were squashed up against the buildings but where a steady march of feet had trodden it down, it was just a thin, discoloured layer. With the temperature dropping, it was gradually turning into a sheet of ice and the soles of their boots slipped beneath them as they picked their way through the crowds, to the shops. The roads were fairly clear. Gritters had been out in force, along with the one and only snowplough in Michaelmas Bay. Zachary had been right. Traffic had ruined the picturesque look of a snow-covered town. He and his team had spent an hour filming in Snowflake Cove before heading into town as soon as that was done.

  ‘Yes, I did. But they’re spending a fortune with us. We’re charging a mint for the accommodation and meals, and then they put in that wine order I told you about. We’re making a massive amount of money out of that. Plus last night in the bar, money was flowing faster than the beer and liqueurs. I sort of feel they deserve more than a snow globe each, don’t you?’

  ‘It’s a lovely snow globe. But yeah. You’re right. But as I think I’ve asked before, what do you get rich people for Christmas?’

  ‘Your guess is as good as mine. We need to look in as many shops as possible until we find the perfect gifts. And I think we should start with this one.’ Evie stopped outside Michaelmas Bay Books. ‘Everyone likes a book.’

  ‘Ah, but what kind of book? I think we should start with a cocktail and make a list. It’s late night opening. I know I said we’d be back by six but if we’ve got lots of gifts to buy we’ve got until eight. Some are open later. Although I suppose you have to get back to help with dinner.’

  ‘I do. So let’s say seven. OK. Cocktails it is. Then the shops.’

  ‘If the bookshop has a book entitled ‘How To Be The Perfect P.A.’, I think we should get that for Felicia. That should wind her up.’

  Evie grinned. ‘We’re looking for nice presents. We need to find something she’ll like.’

  ‘There aren’t enough shops and they don’t open late enough for that. Does the woman like anything?’

  ‘I don’t know. I’ve yet to see her smile at her boyfriend. I have no idea why he’s with her. They don’t seem very happy.’

  Juniper pushed open the door to the cocktail bar. ‘I spoke to Darren and told him what the tarot woman said. He didn’t get home until five this morning apparently. He was in bed when I went home to change and I’m not convinced he took in what I was saying. He said we’ll talk tonight.’

  ‘That’s good then.’

  They each ordered a Merry Mistletoe Kiss, containing vodka, Baileys, am
aretto, hazelnut liqueur, cream and nutmeg, before flopping onto one of the sofas near the window. From here they could watch shoppers hurrying by, laden down with presents. Several were dragging sobbing children no doubt keen to go to Santa’s Grotto, but their parents not so eager.

  ‘It is good. But I told him I have a snowball fight to get to and that we should come over to you and talk later.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s wise? Don’t you want to find out what’s going on first, and then come over. Your relationship is far more important than a snowball fight.’

  Juniper sipped her drink. ‘Good grief. That’s more of a slap than a kiss. It’s yummy though.’

  Evie agreed. ‘We’ll have to order another of these.’

  ‘I do want to know,’ Juniper said, pushing her straw up and down in the heady concoction. ‘But on the other hand, I don’t. What if it is bad news? What if something is going on?’

  ‘Then surely it’s better to know now. And it might not be quite as bad as you think it could. Just out of interest … what would you really do if he has been seeing someone else?’

  ‘Oh God.’ Juniper sat bolt upright. ‘You think he is, don’t you?’

  ‘I didn’t say that. I said what if?’

  ‘But it’s the way you said it. As if you know he is but don’t want to tell me. Christ, Evie! Do you know something I don’t?’

  ‘Hello, lovely ladies. Fancy seeing you here.’

  Startled by the interruption, Evie and Juniper looked up and saw Brandon Carr standing a few feet from them. No more than a second later, the door flew open and Zachary and the rest of his team piled in behind him.

  ‘Hello!’ Zachary said. ‘This is a pleasant surprise. And before you say a word, we’re here working. We’ve been told this is the best cocktail bar in town.’

  ‘It’s the only cocktail bar in town,’ Evie replied, shooting an anxious glance at Juniper.

  ‘May we join you?’

  ‘Of course,’ Juniper said, clearly putting on a brave face.

  ‘Great.’ Zachary smiled. ‘What are you drinking? We’ll get you another.’

  ‘A Merry Mistletoe Kiss,’ Evie told him.

  ‘I like the sound of that. You haven’t got any mistletoe at the inn, have you? I haven’t seen any.’

  ‘No.’

  He grinned. ‘I’ll have to remedy that.’

  He turned away and as he and Brandon headed to the bar the whole place erupted with screams and shrieks. Zachary Thorn had been recognised. No surprise there. A crowd quickly gathered around him and his team, and Evie took the opportunity to talk to Juniper.

  ‘I don’t know anything, Juniper. If I knew that Darren was definitely seeing someone else, I would tell you. Honestly, I would. But only if I was absolutely certain. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.’

  Juniper nodded. ‘I know you would. I didn’t mean to accuse you of keeping something from me. I’ll talk to him when I get home.’ She took another sip of her drink. ‘I think the snowball fight might be off anyway. It’ll take them all night to get away from that crowd.’

  ‘And I think we can kiss another drink goodbye. He’ll never make it to the bar.’

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Evie raced into the kitchen, dumping several shopping bags by the door and kicking off her boots.

  ‘Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I’m late and it’s seven-thirty, but my phone battery died. Did you get the text from Juniper saying we were on the way? You didn’t reply and …’ Evie stopped in her tracks. ‘What’s wrong? Has something happened?’ Everyone was unusually quiet. Busy doing things, but no one was talking. That was unheard of in the Starr’s kitchen. ‘Mum?’

  Molly threw her a wan smile. ‘Sorry sweetheart. I was miles away. Did you get my text?’

  ‘Um. No. That’s what I just said. My battery died. What’s up?’

  ‘We’ve heard from Severine,’ John said, glancing up from an intense study of his mug of tea.

  ‘Oh great,’ Evie said, her mouth downcast. ‘I mean. Oh great. That’s fabulous. Um. I know she can be a pain but you’re usually excited to see her. Even I’m excited to see her … sometimes. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me. You told her about the Thorns being here and she threw a tantrum, didn’t she?’

  Molly had poured Evie a cup of tea without asking if she wanted one and as she handed it to Evie, she nodded.

  Jessie tutted from her armchair by the Aga. ‘She threw a tantrum. But not for the reason you think.’

  ‘Oh? Why then? But more importantly, when is she arriving? She’d better get here soon or she might not be able to. Juniper says the forecast is horrendous …’ She let her voice trail off. Raven was sitting by the window, staring out, but she turned to face Evie and it was clear she had been crying. ‘Raven? Are you OK? Will someone please tell me what’s going on?’

  ‘Mum’s not coming home for Christmas.’ Raven’s voice was extraordinarily calm. Worryingly so. ‘That’s what’s going on. She’s spending it in Las Vegas. Why? You might ask. Because she’s going there to get married. Married! Just like that. To some guy I hardly know. To some guy she hardly knows. But they’re coming over for New Year. And then, guess what? We’re moving to New York. Well, I’m not. I don’t care what she says. I’ll be sixteen soon and I can choose where I want to live. And it isn’t in bloody New York!’

  Severine was getting married? Over Christmas? Without her daughter present? And moving to New York. No wonder Raven was crying. No wonder they were all in shock. Severine could be selfish, but she had never done anything like this. Although she had moved to London shortly after Raven was born, without telling anyone she was going until the very day she left.

  ‘Why the rush?’ It was all Evie could think to say.

  ‘Oh, that’s the best bit,’ Raven said. ‘I’m gonna have a baby brother or sister. Whoopee! Isn’t that exciting?’ She swiped at her tearful eyes. ‘I suppose that is exciting. It just doesn’t feel like it right now.’

  This time, Evie couldn’t think of anything to say. She looked from Raven to her mum and her dad and then her gran. Everyone was dumbstruck. Even Logan, who was skulking in the background, virtually blended with the cupboards.

  ‘Married and pregnant? Bloody hell.’ Evie marched over to Raven and wrapped her arms around her. Raven sung into the embrace, quietly sobbing. And Evie glanced at her mum. ‘When did she call?’

  ‘Almost an hour ago,’ Molly said. ‘We’re all still trying to take it in. We’ve all hugged and had a little cry, but it doesn’t seem real. Severine always comes home for Christmas.’

  That was the least important issue right now. Raven must be going through hell. And yet it wasn’t all bad. Raven hadn’t run off to her room. That was something. Although Evie wouldn’t have blamed her for a moment if she had. She was entitled to be furious over this.

  ‘So why did Severine have a tantrum? Because you told her you don’t want to live in New York?’ Evie stroked Raven’s hair.

  Raven shook her head beneath Evie’s hand. ‘I didn’t get a chance to tell her. As soon as she found out Zachary Thorn was staying here, filming his TV show, she threw a fit.’

  ‘Someone told her about Zachary? After she’d just dropped that bombshell.’

  ‘I told her,’ Jessie said. ‘The entire conversation was on speakerphone. She had the cheek to tell us that Harvey (Jessie used a shrill voice to say his name) didn’t want a quiet, family Christmas. He prefers shows and casinos, bright lights and crowds of people. That’s why they’re in Las Vegas. Then he ‘popped the question right out of the blue’ (again the shrill voice, but this time imitating Severine). I lost my temper. I told her that we wouldn’t be having a quiet family Christmas. And about Zachary and the show. Then she had a tantrum and said we should have told her. That if she’d known she might have persuaded Harvey to come. Then she slammed the phone down.’

  ‘After you told her she and Harvey wouldn’t be missed,’ John said, but he wasn’t cross with Jessie, that was ob
vious.

  ‘She deserved it,’ Jessie said, twisting in her seat to face the centre of the room. ‘Severine thinks far too much about what she wants, and far too little about others. She’s the one who hates quiet family Christmases. She always has. She does nothing but moan when she’s here. All she says is that she can’t wait to go home. As if spending time with us is a burden she has to bear, not something she should cherish and enjoy.’

  Jessie threw Raven a look and Evie hugged her niece tighter.

  Raven lifted her head. ‘I did that, didn’t I? When I first arrived. I’m sorry, Grammie. I’m sorry, everyone.’

  ‘There’s no need,’ Evie said, and smiled as everyone said the same, or something very similar.

  Raven smiled too. ‘I’m gonna try really hard to make sure I don’t behave that way again. I … I don’t have to go and live in New York, do I?’

  ‘No,’ Evie said. ‘Not if you don’t want to.’

  ‘I’m sure we can work something out,’ Molly added. ‘And you’re more than welcome to live here, if you’d like to and Severine agrees. But she is your mum. Don’t you want to be with her?’

  Raven shrugged. ‘I do. I suppose. But not in New York. And not with this guy I don’t really know. And I’ll be in the way when the new baby arrives.’

  ‘Of course you won’t!’ Molly said. ‘You’ll probably be a great help to your mum.’

  Raven looked as if she were miles away. ‘At least my brother or sister will know who their dad is. That’s more than I do.’

  A clatter of pans hitting the floor startled everyone, even Logan – and he was the one who dropped them.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ‘Where did you disappear to?’ Zachary asked when Evie went to take his dinner order. ‘Are you OK? You look … distant.’